


Unmasked

by Comrade Lucia (Quantin_of_the_Lethe)



Series: The Adventures of Lucia [7]
Category: Mother 3
Genre: Boys In Love, Dorks in Love, Falling In Love, M/M, Post-Canon, Trans Girl Lucas (Mother 3)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:48:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29555880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quantin_of_the_Lethe/pseuds/Comrade%20Lucia
Summary: Shortly after the victory celebration after wiping out the last Pigmasks, Claus learns how to feel emotions again, and is immediately put to the test. It goes not how he expected.
Relationships: Claus/Fuel (Mother 3)
Series: The Adventures of Lucia [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994812
Kudos: 3





	Unmasked

Lucia had been through hell these past few years. She'd suffered unimaginable loss. She'd slept in places no human being should ever sleep. Her body was tired, sore, in need of a rest after years of running. But now, she faced the hardest, most daunting challenge of all: public speaking. As she got up in front of the crowd, the chatter died down, but the party atmosphere remained. She wagered half the town was at least tipsy, but you know what? They'd deserved it.

She cleared her throat. Her heart pounded. Claus, Kumatora, and Duster were in the front, smiling, giving her a thumbs-up.

"I...I've never done this before," she started slowly. "Interacting with other people is very hard for me. But this is an extremely special occasion. Together, we have completed the Cleansing of Porky's host from our island, and begun the process of Revolution. We enter a new age of cooperation. Working together, we can build a home for all, free of selfishness, greed, exploitation, and oppression. But the matters of that new age can wait a night as we celebrate our victory! Long live the revolution!"

"LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!" the crowd cheered. She noticed Claus was missing.

* * *

He'd slunk out during the speech. He knew she was gonna nail it, and he needed to be away from people. Running to a bush near the prayer sanctuary, he reached in and pulled out the helmet he'd worn for what felt like his entire life. Sitting on the ground, he looked at it, its power long gone, no longer able to control him directly, but he still felt its pull, hearing the ancient laugh of Porky Minch.

_My robot! I've created the perfect machine! It will finally be able to complete what should've been done ages ago!_

Claus frowned. _If I have to hear your voice for the next God knows how long, I'm gonna make your time here a living hell. You're on *my* turf._

_We'll see about that, spankety! You think you're gonna have it rough? Your sister has voices in her head far more eldritch than me. I'm kind and merciful!_

_What in the...?_ he wondered, but he knew Porky was trying to distract him. _You leave my sister out of this! This is between me and you, pig!_

 _'Between you and I',_ he snottily corrected with that characteristic snicker.

Claus snarled. _I ended you! I made the choice to end you!_

_Ah, yes, such bravery. Much heroism. Wow. But like the last annoying boy who got in the way of my plans, you cannot truly defeat me. As long as I live, evil will exist. I took over from Giygas. Giygas took over from his predecessor, and *he* took over from *his* predecessor, and so on and so forth. You see, Claus?_

_Yeah, I see. I see a dumbass kid who sticks his nose in business where it doesn't belong, and is lucky enough to be a useful idiot for powers far greater than him._

_Ohhhhhh,_ Porky seethed, _you'll see, Claus. You'll see._ And with that, the voice faded from his head. Suddenly, his motion detectors captured the movement of another object. Something moving. Fast.

"HALT!" he yelled, defaulting to his Commander voice. "WHO GOES THERE!?"

"PUT. THE GUNARM. AWAY!" yelled Fuel. "Heavens me, Mega Man, are you going to vaporize your only friend?"

"I have Lucia," he grumbled.

"Well, yes, indeed you do, _but_ , I fill a special role in your life, Mister Man."

"God, _stop_ talking to me like Dad did."

"Sorry, sorry." He made himself at home next to the ruddy-haired boy. "Been a while since we've had some quality time."

"You could definitely say that."

"I've...I've missed you a lot."

"I missed you too."

"You, um...you fill a special role in my life, too."

Claus looked at him. He was blushing.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about that a lot. You make me feel a kind of way."

"I don't follow."

"Uhhh..." Fuel stammered. "Like, whenever I think about you, my heart just...I don't know, man, it's hard to describe, I just get all warm and cozy inside whenever I see you now."

"What, like you love me or something?"

"Actually...yeah."

This triggered something deep within Claus. Where it came from he didn't know.

"HOW COULD YOU?" he roared.

Fuel looked terrified. "I'm, I'm sorry, Claus, I didn't--"

"HOW COULD YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME AFTER ALL I'VE DONE!? LOOK AT ME, FUEL! LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO ME!" He removed his gloved left hand to reveal an arm and hand made of hard metal, his fingers shaped into claws. He pulled back his lips to reveal fangs, gumline still wounded from their traumatic installation. "Yeah, I know!" Fuel responded, picking up his courage. "You think I don't know this!? I fought alongside you during the Cleansing, dude, I think I'm capable of noticing that they gave you the Extreme Makeover: Cyborg Edition."

Claus huffed. "Then if you knew, you'd know that to love me is folly." Fuel started to cry. "So that's it, then?" he said meekly.

"There's nothing left to discuss." Fuel ran away without saying another word. Immediately, Claus realized his mistake. "Wait! FUEL!" But it was too late. _Shit, shit, SHIT!_ he thought angrily, running after him. _WHY do I always do this?_ It was dark, but he knew the Sunshine Forest like the back of his hand. Plus, he just had to following the sound of crying. Soon, the lights of Lighter's house were visible around the corner.

He hurriedly knocked on the door. Lighter answered, Flint at the table. It looked like they'd been drinking and reminiscing.

"You the reason my boy came home crying?" he slurred.

"Y-yes, sir," Claus said hurriedly. "I came to make up."

"Fine. FUEL! CLAUS HERE FOR YOU!" Slowly, the boy descended the stairs, initially looking at him with contempt, his face softening as he noticed the look of sheer remorse on his face.

"I, I want to apologize," he started. "For disposing of your feelings like that."

Fuel leaned against the wall. "I'm listening."

"I...I don't really know how to process emotions, like, at all. I was told for so long that I didn't have any, that I was just this machine."

"And now you're experiencing emotions for the first time in years."

"Yeah."

"And it's overwhelming."

"Yeah."

"Because you may no longer have that helmet, but you're still the Masked Man."

Claus paused, and sighed. "Yeah."

"I think it's time we unmasked the Masked Man."

"I...I agree. Together."

Fuel smiled. "Together." The other boy gave a small smile.

"So, how does it feel to feel again?"

"Overpowering."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Well, one feeling in particular."

Fuel raised his eyebrows. "And what, pray tell, is that?"

Claus stepped closer to him. "This one." He leaned in, about a couple inches from Fuel's face. He traced his human fingertips down his cheek, his neck, slowly entwining Fuel's hand with his metal one, looking into Fuel's deep, brown, doe-like eyes, wide from the sensation of being touched in such a way.

"So delicate," Claus murmured, before gently kissing him. Fuel acclimated smoothly, putting one hand on Claus's hips, the other running fingers through his messy orange hair. When they broke the kiss, Claus's mouth was turned up in that little smile that just made his heart melt in an instant. "Turns out love feels pretty good."

"Y-yeah, I'll say."

They looked over at their dads. Flint gave Claus a hat tip of approval. Lighter was crying.

"My baby boy's all grown up," he sobbed.

Claus turned back to Fuel, their hands now firmly holding one another. Their eyes traded back a simple expression: _I love you. I never want to lose you. Ever again._

"What now?" Fuel asked.

Claus smiled, a real smile, his first in years. "Come on, let's introduce my family to my new boyfriend."

"You think they'll be okay with that?"

"More than okay."

"Then let's go! I've been meaning to meet them for a while."

And as they walked through the forest together, Claus sang a song, one from an age long past:

_One thing I cannot see,_   
_Why are you so good to me?_   
_As you place your hand in mine,_   
_And stare into my eyes,_   
_And whisper in my ear,_   
_"Because I love you"._

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, I'm warming up rapidly to Claus/Fuel as my resident Mother 3 ship. Their dynamic is adorable and I think these nerds are practically made for each other.


End file.
